2-179 - New Insights Into Relations Between Conceptual Development and Executive Function

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

The conscious control of thought, emotion, and action, termed ‘executive function’ (EF), develops rapidly in early childhood, is implicated in a wide range of disorders, and predicts many academic and social outcomes later in life (Blair & Razza, 2007; Moffitt et al., 2011). There is growing evidence that EF plays a role in the acquisition of knowledge and skills across a range of domains. The papers in this symposium present research at the intersection of EF and conceptual development, with the aim of providing new insight into the ways in which conceptual change and EF may be related. The first paper examines the role of EF in conceptual change in the domain of biology, and presents evidence from a training study that suggests EF may be crucial to the construction of an adult-like vitalist theory of biology. The second paper presents research from two studies finding links between children’s understanding of logical inconsistency and EF, suggesting that increases in sensitivity to inconsistency may contribute to developmental increases in EF through improvement in conflict detection. Paper three examines the role of EF in the development of analogical reasoning between 5 and 11 years of age, finding that three components of EF (inhibitory control, working memory, and task-switching) relate to analogy skill on a single task with different relations depending on age, indicating a complex developmental trajectory. Collectively, these papers suggest that relations between EF and conceptual development across domains may be multifaceted and bidirectional, and indicate future directions for theory-driven research.

Sub Unit

• Cognitive Processes

Chair

• Melissa A. Koenig, University of Minnesota

Discussant

• Susan E Carey, Harvard University

Individual Presentations

• Exploring the Relationship between Executive Functions and the Construction of a Vitalist Theory of Biology in Young Children - Presenting Author: Igor Bascandziev, Harvard University; Deborah Zaitchik-Samet, Harvard University; Susan E Carey, Harvard University

• The Relation Between Children’s Understanding of Inconsistency and Executive Function in Early Childhood - Presenting Author: Sabine Doebel, University of Colorado, Boulder; Melissa A. Koenig, University of Minnesota; Philip David Zelazo, University of Minnesota

• Contributions of Executive Functions and Parental Input on Children’s Analogical Reasoning - Presenting Author: Rebecca Frausel, The University of Chicago; Nina Simms, University of Chicago; Lindsey Engle Richland, University of Chicago